Pakistan-based Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants killed six paramilitary personnel and abducted eight others after attacking a security checkpoint in Peshawar, security officials told AFP on Tuesday.
According to a security official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, dozens of militants armed with firearms, hand grenades and mortar shells stormed the checkpoint on Monday. The official said they were not authorised to speak to the media.
A second security official said, “Six personnel of the Federal Constabulary (FC) were martyred and four others wounded in an attack carried out by armed militants.” Referring to the paramilitary force operating on the front lines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, the official added, “The militants abducted eight FC personnel and took them to an undisclosed location.”
Pakistan’s military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack and shared an image of the abducted personnel on its social media channel.
Pakistan has been battling a growing insurgency in its western border regions and has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering militants, an allegation the Taliban government in Kabul has consistently denied.
Last month, militants killed 26 people in multiple attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have worsened in recent months over the militancy issue, leading to deadly cross-border clashes and Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.
